For Release: April 24, 2017 – Cody McDonell, Office of Communications (405) 271-5601
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program recently hosted the 2017 Registered Dietitian Training. In addition to great speakers and teambuilding exercises, the training featured the annual Laura K. Savage Creativity in Nutrition Education Award.
This award allows students and nutrition educators to showcase their talent and creativity by participating in a poster contest. The winning entry was submitted by Heather Odenwald who is the registered dietitian for the Wagoner and Creek County Health Departments. She has been with the OSDH since August 2012.
Odenwald created the display, titled, “From Granny’s Kitchen to Yours: The ‘Old’ New Way to Put Away,” to help educate participants about the benefits of canning as well as the correct procedure to use when canning. She emphasized the importance of using the adequate amount of time, temperature and acid to prevent the foodborne illness known as botulism.
This educational tool will assist in teaching participants how to safely put away their WIC fruits and vegetables to use throughout the year. Odenwald will also demonstrate her canning skills in the next “Cooking with WIC” video series.
The Laura K. Savage Creativity in Nutrition Education Award is named in memory of Laura K. Savage, former WIC nutrition education coordinator. Savage lost her life in a 2001car accident. Nutrition education was her passion. She was dedicated to developing new ways of educating participants about WIC.
In all, 48 students from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Central Oklahoma participated in the contest. Along with the entries from the universities, 11 entries from Oklahoma WIC nutrition educators were also submitted. As creator of the winning entry, Odenwald will have the opportunity to attend the Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management course.
For more information about the WIC program, please contact (405) 271-4676.
EDITORS: See attached photo with caption of Heather Odenwald. Media outlets should contact Cody McDonell at the number listed above for interviews.
Heather Odenwald, MS-MPH, RDN/LD, IBCLC
###
Last Modified on
Jun 03, 2022
